Faith, Folklore, and Friends

Jerry Brown is in his early seventies, and has been making pottery since he was a child.  For twenty years he worked in another profession, because it was hard to make a living selling pottery then. He estimates he has made at least a million pieces of pottery. It is a special day when you can watch a master at his work.  Mr. Brown started with a seven pound lump of clay, and in two minutes, created this vase. It's all in the hands, he tells us.  You have to make a thousand before you feel it. A thing of beauty,  made from a lump of clay and the hands of a master potter.

Archaeologists have found pottery in China that was made around 20,000 years ago.  I don't know when or how the first was made; maybe some one was wasting time by the river bank and found that it was fun to mold wet clay into shapes.  Maybe they came back later, after their creation had baked in the sun, and decided that it could be used to store things, to keep things dry, and drink out of.  If anyone knows who made the first pottery, please share that information with us.  I do know that it is still being made today, and it is just as beautiful and useful as it was way back then. I love pottery, and have several items that I have bought over the years.  At first, I bought every kind I could find, but I soon ran out of space and money, so now I buy only pottery from my favorite potter, Jerry Brown of Hamilton, Alabama. The pot above was made by Mr. Brown, and I treasure it.  If your interests include local pottery, I would highly recommend this b...